An atypical concentration or presence of substances in body fluids or in body lumens may be indicative of the biological condition of the body. For example, the presence of elevated concentrations of red blood cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract may indicate different pathologies, depending on the location of the bleeding along the GI tract. Thus, for example, bleeding in the stomach may indicate an ulcer, whereas bleeding in the small intestine may indicate the presence of a tumor. Furthermore, different organs may contain different body fluids requiring different analysis methods. For example, the stomach secretes acids whereas pancreatic juice is basic.
Medical detection kits are usually based on in vitro testing of body fluid samples for the presence of a suspected substance. For example, in some cases, diseases, such as cancer, are detected by analyzing the blood stream for tumor specific markers, typically, specific antibodies. A drawback of this method is that the appearance of antibodies in the blood stream usually occurs at a late stage of the disease, such that early detection is not possible using this method. Furthermore, this method of detection does not easily allow localization or identification of the origin of a pathology.
Early detection, identification and location of abnormal conditions (such as, for example, an atypical presence or concentration of a substance) may be critical for definitive diagnosis and/or treating of various pathologies.
Devices, systems and methods for in-vivo sensing of passages or cavities within a body, and for sensing and gathering information (e.g., image information, pH information, temperature information, electrical impedance information, pressure information, etc.), are known in the art.
An in-vivo sensing system may include, for example, an in-vivo imaging device for obtaining images from inside a body cavity or lumen, such as the GI tract. The in-vivo imaging device may include, for example, an imager associated with units such as, for example, an optical system, an illumination source, a controller, a power source, a transmitter, and an antenna. The in-vivo imaging device may transmit acquired image data to an external receiver/recorder, using a communication channel (e.g., Radio Frequency signals). Other types of in-vivo devices exist, such as endoscopes which may not require a transmitter, and in-vivo devices performing functions other than imaging.